Rossi or wait on a Marlin lever?

I have been looking for a JM stamped Marlin lever action in 38/357 for some time. No hunting or competition planned just looking for a plinking gun. I may have a line on a Rossi (I don't have more info then that now) at what I am told will be a "good price".

Google and the search feature here have me thinking both the Rossi and the Marlin have their good and bad points.

If I jump on the Rossi is there anything I need to look out for once I have more info?

Do not buy the Rossi. I repeat do not buy the Rossi. What you should do is tell me where the Rossi deal is and I will buy it to make sure you dont have any issues with it. Hehe I have shot one and they work fine. Go for it. But I mean it if you change your mind I would take that little puppy off your hands. I too have been looking for a 38/357 lever for some time and its looking like it will end up a Rossi. I recently got lucky and got a 1965 marlin in 44mag. Love it.

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas and oil, as well as current market conditions, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

The Rossi has a goofy safety. I have a JM Marlin 357 and the quality is marginal although it is a pretty rifle. Hold out for a Browning 92.

If the Rossi was produced prior to 1995-96 I will not have the goofy safety.
I would go with the Rossi and it won't be difficult to forget the Marlin altogether unless one wants to mount a scope.
You may want to look here for information on 1892's.http://www.stevesgunz.com/

The afore mentioned 'goofy safety' is not really a big deal, and if you find it so distasteful it can be removed and plugged, unlike the really ugly receiver mounted crossbolt safety on the Marlin. In fact, of all the lever guns which have the unnecessary lawyer induced manual safeties, Winchester's tang mounted safety is the least obtrusive.

I have a EMF Model 1892 (higher grade, made by Rossi) carbine with 20 inch barrel and color case hardened receiver in .38/357. I absolutely love it, nothing in a lever action is any smoother than a model '92. I have nothing but praise for my Rossi made lever gun.

I'm just talking from a Cowboy Action Shooting background, I've had a couple friends who tried to make Rossi' s work well. Google Nate Kiowa Jones, a Texas gunsmith who specializes in Rossi guns. He has said he picked Rossi guns because "all the easy ones were taken". I let a 24" octagon barrel Marlin Cowboy go to buy something else and still regret it. I'll never sell my Cowboy Comp 38 sp only gun that they only made a couple years. There are a couple really good sites to check out for smoothing out a Marlin. Google Deuce Stevens Marlins speed record on YouTube.

I have been looking for a JM stamped Marlin lever action in 38/357 for some time. No hunting or competition planned just looking for a plinking gun. I may have a line on a Rossi (I don't have more info then that now) at what I am told will be a "good price".

Google and the search feature here have me thinking both the Rossi and the Marlin have their good and bad points.

If I jump on the Rossi is there anything I need to look out for once I have more info?

Any strong feelings about holding out for the Marlin?

Thanks in advance.

rk

I own 16 leveractions and three are in 357 Magnum. One Browning 92 and two Marlins.

The Brownings are really hard to find and if you do it will cost so I am not going to tell you to get one. However, if you were to luck out and find one at a decent price get it!

Of the Marlins one is 1894P, it is a 16" ported barrel with the safety. The other is 1894 with a 18.5" barrel without the safety. Of the two I like the older non safety because it has a better trigger. The older non safety Marlins will always have a better trigger because they redesigned the the hammer to rebounding when they added the safety. It is not a deal breaker but it not lovable either.